Having a rigid structure on which to build a pontoon boat is essential to the overall quality of the boat. A flimsy frame can easily be felt by end users as the boat flexes during use. Such flexing can damage walls and other installed components affixed to the deck. A major challenge in creating a rigid structure is having a light structure as well. Rigidity and low weight are competing goals because often having a rigid frame means adding more material and, therefore, more weight.
Traditional methods of construction typically involve using unwieldy brackets on top of round pontoons. This is done to join a straight tubular cross member to a round pontoon. Doing so requires a great amount of labor because connections must be made between the cross members and their corresponding brackets, then the brackets must also be joined to the pontoon. Using brackets does not provide an efficient method of producing a rigid pontoon frame.